Humility – Contributes to the public good

“A nation is formed by the willingness of each of us to share in the responsibility for upholding the common good.”

Barbara Jordan

Humility not only forms a solid base to build individual virtue, but I believe it will also strengthen the broader societal or common good. Sadly, humility is too often in scarce supply in the public forum. We seem to live a world that is increasing in political, social and cultural polarity. This polarization certainly has many causes, but I would submit that primary among those causes is a simple lack of humility in our public discourse.

Politically, I consider myself somewhat of a centrist, with certain libertarian and conservative leanings. I greatly value integrity and diplomacy in our political leaders: values that placed me within the “Never Trump” camp during the 2016 presidential campaign cycle. Along with many Americans, I was stunned at the unexpected outcome of that election. Watching President Trump’s inauguration and first State of the Union address were surreal experiences.

Many political pundits have struggled to explain Donald Trump’s ascension to office. How did this happen? While I am an amateur political observer at best, I have a personal theory that explains Trump’s appeal and the deepening political polarization in the United States. At its root, I believe is a lack of humility in the public forum.

The tone of our society’s cultural and political discourse has grown cruder and more polarizing in recent decades. From all ends of the philosophical spectrum, I’ve observed a disturbing trend to vilify and demonize people and institutions that hold opposing views to one’s own. Rather than civilly acknowledging that reasonable, well-intended people can come to differing conclusions on difficult, nuanced issues, we’ve developed a clear tendency to cast those with whom we disagree as bigoted, hateful, and evil. This reflexive response to conflicting opinions may have swayed some public opinion, but over time it has had the effect of painting the political opposition into a tighter and tighter corner. It seems that this has at least in part contributed to further political polarization and forcing the political opposition to behave like a cornered cat.

The cornered cat sees its only defense in baring its claws and attacking. In like manner, when the political discourse corners one’s opponent, an unsurprising result is corresponding viciousness, divisiveness and polarization. I am certain that the reasons for the ascent of our current president are much more complex and layered than what I’ve described, but I’ve got to believe that at the end of the day, if the president’s political opposition want to understand the shocking results of the 2016 election, they need look no further than the mirror.

While my political analysis may be completely off base, I cannot help but believe that a healthy dose of humility for politicians, activists, and the electorate would greatly improve the tone of our discussion in the public sphere. Listening with the intent to understand is one of the many fruits of humility. Humility leads us not only to listen, but to learn from others and to find common ground.

Want to bridge the political divide? Be humble. Listen. Seek to understand.

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